Men in the Bible: Adam – A Man of Understanding
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man.” – Genesis 2:21-23
Another attribute of Adam was understanding. Despite being a lonely figure with no forbear for him to study or a mate for him to hobnob, he was nonetheless enamored with mental acumen that helped him to make a sense of his world.
We read yesterday how intelligence helped him to appraise and name all other creatures in accordance with his assessment of their nature and characteristics. We also established how his verdict was so accurate that neither God nor any of the creatures he named contested the names he assigned. Today, we will be exploring another mental acuity that he displayed, which is understanding.
Having been presented with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of creatures to name, Adam found no connection with any of them. But when the last creature that God brought for him to name was presented before him, he had his “Aha’ moment. He knew this was it.
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” He exclaimed. Note the emphasis on the word “now”. That confirms that he had mentally eliminated all the other creatures that were brought to him as potential partner. it also affirms our earlier note that he had to refuse God by not choosing any of those creatures as his mate.
However, immediately he saw this latest creature, he did not hesitate to identify her as one more closely associated with him than the other creatures he had seen (‘bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh’) and in labeling her in association with himself (‘she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man’). That is understanding at work.
Understanding helped Adam to both describe the nature of the woman and her unique identity. Another word for understanding is insight. While knowledge is common, as anyone can acquire knowledge by reading, listening, or being exposed to useful information; understanding is not so commonplace. It is a step higher than the realm of knowledge. But that does not mean it is not attainable for anyone who desires it. You just need to be more attentive to develop understanding and grow in it.
Thankfully, the first man had great understanding, and we all share the same DNA with him. Therefore, this presupposes that we also have the potential to develop understanding beyond the basic level.
Selah!
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